After the crash, the Justice Department opens a fraud investigation; the NTSB's preliminary report indicates there was a design or manufacturing defect and the surviving relatives, including the First Lady, initiate a lawsuit for damages in excess of one billion dollars. WorldCopter calls upon attorney Mike Nolan, a former Marine helicopter pilot who now serves as legal counsel for Aviation Insurers International. Nolan's adversary is one of the most respected and feared attorneys in the nation.

 After its initial burst of action Marine One, moves slowly with a great deal of technical detail about helicopters, a flight data recorder which stops just before the crash, a helicopter pilot who openly disliked the President and the investigation at the accident scene.

Key questions for Mike Nolan include why was the president in such a hurry to get to Camp David, could the pilot have caused the "accident" given the fact he just took out a one million dollar life insurance policy, and where are the missing wing tips used to balance the helicopter's rotors? Secondary characters are developed in great detail and the legal proceedings including pre-trial motions also occupy a few too much pages. However, when the trial begins the action and page-turning not only return but become almost frenetic.

 Marine One is a complex legal and political thriller snatched from today's headlines, filled with secret witnesses, private investigators and a twist involving lawyers who will stop at nothing to win their case. Add to this a deadly conspiracy involving both the reason the president chose that stormy night to travel and the cause of the crash. Like Mike Nolan, author James Huston is a lawyer with flight experience. Marine One is his first book in six years. I don't think we will have to wait that long for Mike Nolan to return.

--Jerry Solot